Turning Points Faculty Speaker Series Archive
2008-2009
Nancy Pagh– English
April 15, 09 - What’s Cracking Up? Humor as Subversion in Poetry
A poet & instructor in the English Department, Pagh read/spoke about poems as part of National Poetry Month. Humor is an essential strand in Nancy’s voice as a poet, but her poems aren’t simply comic. She discussed ways that humor offers her entry into difficult subject matter. Reflecting on work of her favorite poets, Nancy discussed humor as a form of subversion that has been used in particularly interesting ways by women. How is humor created, how does it influence the relationship between the poem’s speaker and her audience, and how do these poets avoid the stereotypically “feminine” trap of self-deprecating humor? Defensive humor can serve as a shield, but these poems disarm us and subvert resistance with surprise and wit.Ten Reasons Your Prayer Diet Won't Work - Nancy Pagh
1 ) Praying to god that you will be thin instead of eating only burns
eleven calories at average fervency.
2 ) Jesus had large love handles. I know in the pictures he's skinny and
white with slightly Italian-esque features, but he understood the value
of keeping on a few extra pounds to tide him over in the desert.
If you are a child of god this runs in your family.
3 ) All food miracles create more:more loaves, more fishes, more wine, more
manna...When you ask god to do something about fat expect multiplication.
4 ) The only time you used to talk to god was giving thanks before high-caloric
meals. Your fat cells remember this and begin to swell even at the
mention of his name.
5 ) God has stock in Doritos.
6 ) Eventually you will tell yourself that god created you this way
and who are you to disagree?
7 ) Contrary to popular belief,eating is not a mortal sin per se-
and god believes in free will.
8 ) Bread & wine. Communion suggests god endorses Mediterranean Diet instead.
9 ) Blasphemy, to waste German chocolate cake.
10 ) God is characterized by excess;your only proof that god exists
is that the natural world is more than it has to be. Perhaps the closest
you've come to acting in her perfect image was building your sacred hips.
FROM - No Sweeter Fat, published by Autumn House Press (Pittsburgh), 07NO DVD is available for this lecture.
Grace Wang - Environmental Studies
March 4 - Seeing the Forest for (more than) the Trees:
Mushrooms, Berries & Other Non-Timber Resources
Wang discussed non-timber forest products (NTFPs) and how different groups of people have gathered them throughout history. Her research addresses the motivations & socio-cultural implications of why people gather non-timber forest products. She will present case studies on huckleberries, salal, and mushrooms. In Oregon, tribal members from the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Indians have Treaty rights to gather huckleberries on the Mt. Hood National Forest. Wang examined the implications of those Treaty rights with modern-day policies of the U.S. Forest Service and resulting cultural issues. On Washington’s Olympic Peninsula, harvesters gather salal; yet where they harvest the plant has management implications, depending on the ownership.
She also discussed mushroom harvesting in Pacific Northwest and Canada, focusing on First Nations access to resource and possible ecological impacts of overharvesting.
An associate professor of Environmental Studies, Wang has taught at Huxley College since 2002. She teaches courses in environmental policy, natural resources and sustainability.
Jen Lois - Sociology
Feb 11, 09 - Motherhood & Time: What
Homeschoolers’ Experiences Can Tell Us
Jen Lois discussed how the mainstream definition of “good” mothering in the U.S. demands a lot from mothers, particularly when it comes to time. Phrases such as “quantity time,” “quality time,” “time management,” and “me time” which are embedded in the cultural discourse surrounding motherhood, that many mothers feel guilty about not spending enough – or “right” kind of – time with their children. Different mothers react differently to these cultural messages. Lois will draw on seven years of field research & interviews with homeschooling mothers to examine how they understand and react to these temporal demands of motherhood.Most of the mothers in her study chose homeschooling to spend more time with their children; yet homeschooling also deepens time-stress in other ways. Although these mothers find ways to manage time, they also find that some time cannot be controlled. In those cases, they turn to managing their feelings about time instead. Because homeschoolers’ experiences are intensified along this temporal dimension of motherhood, they illuminate how our culture’s high standards affect all mothers.
Lois recieved her B.A. in Latin American Studies from Dartmouth College. A field researcher, Lois observes first-hand and participates in interesting areas of social life. In her first project, she spent 6 yrs. studying a volunteer, mountain-environment search & rescue group. Through this research, she became interested in gender, heroism, and the sociology of emotions, focusing much of her work on these issues. The project turned into a book, published in 2003, and in '06 was honored with the Outstanding Recent Contribution Award from the American Sociological Association’s Sociology of Emotions Section. Lois now studys homeschooling mothers, focusing on how ideas about emotions/ time can influence how women define themselves as mothers. She will be turn this project into a book, to be published in 2010.
A DVD of Lois's presentation is available in Western's Library & can be checked out.
Daniel Boxberger - Anthropology
Jan. 14, 09 - Objectivity & Relativity in Science of the
American Indian: Lessons Learned From the Ancient One
Boxberger discussed the history of the relationship between Native Americans and the science of anthropology, especially in the courtroom. Always complex and controversial this relationship came to a head in the legal brawl surrounding the dispensation of the human remains popularly known as Kennewick Man. Asking the question: Who owns history? Boxberger explored different interpretations of Native American history ranging from cultural evolution (objectivity) to the Coyote Tales (relativity). Critical to the question are the perceptions the general public hold concerning Native American rights and their voice as stakeholders in issues of land management and resource allocation.
Daniel Boxberger is professor and chair of the Anthropology Department. He has been at Western since 1983. The author of three books and over 36 articles on the subject of Native Americans and natural resource use/control. He is the 2008 recipient of the Olscamp Faculty Research Award. His research on indigenous rights spans 35 years during which he has worked on a number of landmark cases.
He has worked on projects for federal land management agencies, including a report on the history and culture of the claimant tribes of The Ancient One (Kennewick Man) for the National Park Service repatriation decision. Boxberger is currently working with the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde to help clarify rights to lands ceded by treaty.
John Bower - Fairhaven College
Nov. 12, 08 - One Foot In Nature, One Foot In a Crazy World: How the Study of Nature Can Lesson Our Environmental Impact & Improve Our Quality of Life
Bower used data/images from his studies of the natural world to consider how nature study informs our attempt to slow environmental degradation, while improving our quality of life. Drawing on his studies of bowhead whales in the Alaskan arctic, hummingbirds & seabirds on a remote Pacific Ocean island, Pacific Northwest marine birds, and the research of other scientists, he addressed the impact humans are having on the world.He Pointed out the dilemma of environmental degradation is only one part of working toward a solution. How do we find the motivation to change our lifestyles to lessen our impact on the natural world? Iif we make such changes, what will happen to quality of our own lives? Working from the viewpoint that humans are animals with a long evolutionary history who suddenly find themselves in a novel environment, Bower argues careful study of other animals and the cross-cultural study of humans can teach us about how to enrich our current lives while living more sustainably.
Drawing on lessons learned from slowing down to nature’s pace and doing research in out-of-the-way places, Bower argued that a simpler, less energy intensive life will mprove the plight of the environment and can also improve our quality of life.
Bower, associate professor at Fairhaven College has spent 25 years studying the natural world. He started as a birdwatcher, his research includes acoustic communication in bowhead whales & song sparrows, and population ecology of Pacific Northwest marine birds. Bower recently lived on Isla Robinson Crusoe, 500 miles off coast of Chile, studying competition for flowers between endangered & endemic Juan Fernandez firecrown hummingbird and the green firecrown, a recent arrival from the South American mainland. He teaches courses including “Marine Bird Ecology,” “The Science and Music of Natural Sound,” “Cultural and Biological and Perspectives on Pregnancy and Childbirth”
A DVD of Brower's talk is available in Western's Library & can be checked out.
2007-2008
Bruce Beasley - English
April 16, 08 - Poetry Reading
Beasley, a poet and professor of English, spoke about and read poetry as
part National Poetry month. Beasley won the 1996 Colorado Prize for
“Summer Mystagogia” and the 1993 Ohio State University Press/Journal
Award for “The Creation.” His poems have appeared in Kenyon Review,
Ploughshares and Iowa Review, among other journals.A DVD of Beasley's talk is available in Western's Library & can be checked out.
Midori Takagi - Fairhaven College
March 5th, 2008 -"There are no Katos Here, Everyone is the Hornet:
The Asian Hero in American Action Films"
In her lecture, Midori discussed the history of cinema heroes & the Asian American experience and why Hollywood won’t allow Asian men to “beat the bad guy, get the girl and ride into the sunset.” The popularity of Asian stars in American movies has been growing for the past 30 years. Since the 1970s, beginning with Bruce Lee, Asian actors have become more visible and have moved beyond a cult following. Examples of recent popular Asian action stars include Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, Chow Yun Fat, and Jet Li, all of whom have been thrilling western moviegoers with feats of physical agility and power. With each of their box office successes, Asian actors in general are finding greater opportunities to play leading roles. They are no longer limited to being the side-kick or chauffer-in the vein of Kato - to a crime-fighting hero such as the Green Hornet. They now can play the Hornet himself. While many critics, and many fans, readily honor Jackie Chan, Chow Yun Fat, and Jet Li to be American action heroes, their crowns do not fit well. Because in spite of these actors’ impact on Hollywood, they have not redefined the American action tradition to truly accept an Asian hero.A DVD of Takagi's presentation is available in Western's Library & can be checked out.
Marsha Riddle Buly - Elementary Education
Feburary 13th, 2008 -Demystifying Bilingual Education
Riddle Buly, a recipient of the 2005-06 Excellence in Teaching Award, exploreed why bilingual education in the U.S. is misunderstood.
She notes that “countries throughout the world offer students opportunities to study at least two languages throughout elementary school. In Finland and Spain, students study and speak three languages, not just two.” But in the U.S., bilingual education in elementary schools is less common.
Riddle Buly described the difference between additive and subtractive approaches to bilingual education. Additive or enrichment bilingual education is instruction that uses two or more languages where students fluently speak, read, write, and comprehend all languages of instruction. In subtractive or remedial bilingual education the goal is to replace whatever language a student speaks with only English. She will also provide potential benefits of additive or enrichment bilingual education for both English Language Learners and native English speakers in the U.S.
She joined Western's faculty in 1999. For over 20 years she has worked in K-12 schools as a teacher, reading specialist, language arts coordinator & mentor teacher in Spain, CA, & WA.
DVD of Riddle Buly's' talk is available in Western's library, Special Collections
M-F, 11 am-4 pm, or by appt.@ 650-3193. Archival DVD only - can't be checked out.
Kathy Knutzen - Physical Education
January 16, 2008 - Active Living for Health
Knutzen is director of WWU’s Center for Healthy Living. She has been at WWU since 1978.“Active Living for Health” reviewed health risks associated with physical inactivity and physical activity/inactivity trends across age groups. She examined health benefits of physical activity demonstrating strong support for inclusion of regular physical activity for overall health. Different types of exercise were examined pointing out benefits related to cardiovascular or strength exercise. Factors such as transportation, environment and lifestyle were explored from the role they play in influencing overall physical activity participation.
A Professor in the PEHR Dept. and Associate Dean of the College of Humanities & Social Sciences, Knutzen has taught courses in Kinesiology & Biomechanics since 1979 and has directed the Mature Adult Training Program since 1995 - introducing hundreds of older adults to strength and physical activity for maintenance and improvement of function in aging.
Knutzen coordinates the Center for Healthy Living activities, a center comprised of faculty from seven departments who promote health in the community. Her research interests include older adult function and exercise equipment evaluation. She recently completed the 3rd edition of a biomechanics/kinesiology textbook and she maintains an active publication/research presentation schedule. She is a Fellow in the American College of Sports Medicine and the Research Consortium of AAHPERD and is biomechanics serving her second term as the Biomechanics Section Editor of the journal Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport. She was recently inducted into the American Academy of Kinesiology, a prestigious organization with 150 active members who have made significant contributions to the fields of kinesiology & physical education.
A DVD of Knutzen's ' talk is available in Western's Libraries, Special Collections
M-F, 11 am-4 pm, or by appt.@ 650-3193. DVD is archival only & cannot be checked out.
George "Pinky" Nelson - Science Math & Technology Education
Nov. 14, 07-Sputnik plus 50 years,
The Enduring Impact 
Pinky Nelson, Science, Math & Technology Education Director and Physics/Astronomy professor
has been at WWU since 2002. He was a NASA astronaut/mission control specialist aboard 3
shuttle space flights from 1978-89.
"In Oct. 1957, as a 7 year-old boy, along with millions of other Americans, I watched a faint ‘star’ move rapidly from west to east across the evening sky. I will never forget how excited it made me feel about the future, and how nervously the grownups reacted,” said Nelson. “In '89, after three trips into orbit, I was among the first westerners to visit Kazakhstan to stand on the launch pad where the Space Age started.”
50 years have passed since Sputnik was launched, but Nelson said its impact is still being felt in gov., military, schools, media, the scientific community and in our culture. He believes Sputnik was a turning point-the day we first left the planet to begin our expansion into the solar system and beyond.
Nelson’s missions included: 1st on-orbit satellite repair in '84; pilot for 1st operational flight of manned maneuvering unit & primary extravehicular crewman; crew on flight of Discovery-Sept. '89, immediately following the Challenger. Nelson has advised NASA as chair of the Hubble Space Telescope Servicing Missions 3A & 3B External Independent Readiness Review Team.
A DVD of Nelson's talk is available in Western's Library & can be checked out.
2006-2007
Mary Janell Metzger - English
Oct. 1, 2006 -
Teaching and Learning
in an Age of Fear & Corruption
The author of Shakespeare Without Fear: Teaching for Understanding, English professor Mary Janell Metzger explored the connections between student fear, corruption or what is more commonly known as “cheating,” and the nature of teaching and learning today. Through her experience as a teacher of the anxiety producing Bard, Metzger examined the nature of today’s students’ fear of failure, the relationship between such fear, contemporary education debates, the culture of moral corruption advanced by global capitalism, and the work of teaching/learning. She argued that teachers & students must risk failure i to engage the work of writers like Shakespeare, writers that challenge us to think as clearly, and reasonably as we can about who they invite us to be as their readers — individually, historically, socially, politically – and what such an experience means for living in this world – in and outside the classroom.
A DVD of Metzger's presentation is available in Western's Library & can be checked out.
Zite Hutton - Accounting 
Jan. 1, 2007 - The IRS: Myths and Reality
Award-winning professor Marguerite "Zite" Hutton, a former IRS Agent and a CPA, discussed common "myths" related to the IRS and taxes, and countered those myths based on her own experience and observation and current research. Hutton stated that "no one likes to pay taxes, even though tax revenue pays for the many services that are provided by our communities, states and country." "There are so many myths -such as tax refunds are only delivered on Tuesdays" - and everyone hears horror stories, such as "do you know what the IRS did to a friend of a friend of a friend?" Hutton is the CBE Distinguished Teaching Fellow for 2006-09. She is also the recipient of: WA Society of CPA's "2005 Outstanding Accounting Educator for WA State;" WWU's Excellence in Teaching Award; Chase Franklin Excellence in Teaching Award; & the American Taxation Association/Arthur Anderson Teaching Innovation Award.
A DVD of Hutton's ' talk is available in Western's library, Special Collections. M-F- 11 am-4 pm,
or by appt.@ @ 650-3193. Tape is archival only & cannot be checked out.
Steve Globerman - Economics
Fe. 27, 07 - Competing for Highly Educated
People: Is U.S. Economy in Trouble? 
Globerman, Kaiser Professor of International Business & Dir. of the Center for International Business, contended that highly educated workers are a major resource for innovation and economic growth. Traditionally, the U.S. has been a magnet for students seeking advanced degrees, and for highly educated and trained professionals. The inward migration of highly educated people has been a prominent reason for the prosperity the U.S. has enjoyed over the past decades. Researchers are increasingly concerned that the U.S. is becoming less attractive as a migration destination for highly educated people, including those who already hold U.S. citizenship. The presentation focused on the issues of whether and why the U.S. is becoming a less attractive location for highly educated people to live/work. Possible policy responses on the part of U.S. government officials was also discussed. Globerman has published articles, and books on international business topics. He is listed in Who’s Who in Economics; Who’s Who in International Business and Who’s Who in Business Education. His personal/professional interest in international migration issues was honed by his own experience as a migrant who lived and worked in Canada.
Gregory Pulver -Theatre Arts Chair
March 7, 2007 - Feminism and Costume History 
Pulver's lecture was not just about clothing, - it was also about cultural influences and why women in power wore what they wore. He presented an overview of costume & fashion history spanning over 4,000 years, focusing on women in roles of leadership. Nefertiti, Queen Elizabeth, Amelia Bloomer, early women's rights activist, and other strong women were discussed as ground-breakers of fashion and history. He also explored women's silhouette and how it has changed throughout history from Queen Elizabeth's time to the present. Pulver teaches courses in costume design and history and specialty classes in puppetry, millinery, mask making, and movement for actors.
A DVD of Pulver's presentation is available in Western's Library & can be checked out.
Ray Wolpow - Chair, Secondary Education
April 11, 07 - Through the Dead of Night: Lessons in
Resiliency & Hope from Survivors of the Holocaust 
Wolpow, Director of the Northwest Center for Holocaust, Genocide & Ethnocide Education, stated that many K-12 students have backgrounds that include pervasive familial/societal violence. Students who live in families that mistreat them, in dangerous neighborhoods, who attend school with hostile and delinquent peers, cannot choose to leave. This lack of choice over people/environments increases juveniles’ vulnerability to intimate victimization and participation in related high-risk behaviors. Consequences: low self-esteem, depression, attachment, personality & sexual disorders, and dramatic decreases in academic performance. Holocaust survivors know abuse, gang violence, murder and betrayal. Many who are familiar with pain of loss have constructed meaningful lives. Survivors who affirmed value of life in face of death and chose recovery in the face of despair, do more than inspire us. Sharing stories of how survivors restored their lives by helping others and the creation a new genre of “testimonial” literature, he showed how their messages, taught with a pedagogy that fosters resiliency, can be comforting to K-12 students struggling to recover from their own traumas.
2005-2006
Wendy Walker - Environmental Studies
October 19, 05 "Disaster is in the Eye of the
Beholder: An Alligator's View of Hurricane Katrina
Walker explored whether Hurricane Katrina and other sudden natural events like tsunamis and volcanic eruptions, while so devastating to humans, could actually benefit other species. She suggested that humans tend to view these events in the context of their own lives as “disasters,” though the events have varying impacts, both positive and negative, on diverse species – and may actually be a necessary and natural part of the Earth’s complex environmental systems. “It’s possible that what is good for an alligator in the long run might even aid the human species in the long run,” added Walker. To quote naturalist John Muir, “when we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe.”
a DVD of walker's ' lecture is available in Western's library - special collections. m-f - 11 am-4 pm, or by appointment @ 650-3193. the tape is archival only, and cannot be checked out.
Dawn Prince Hughes - Anthropology
Nov. 16, 05 - The Curious Incident of the Gorilla
in the Meantime: My Unusual Path to Academe
Dawn Prince-Hughes explored her unique path to academic success. Undiagnosed with Autism until age 36 she had a very difficult time in school. Eventually, she quit school in her third year of high school and left home, becoming homeless for several years. A chance meeting with a group of captive gorillas afforded her an opportunity to learn how to understand human social behavior, how to regulate sensory stress and resulting anxiety, and eventually led to her rediscovering my enthusiasm for learning. As a result, Prince-Hughes obtained a Ph.D. in interdisciplinary anthropology through Universitat Herisau, in Switzerland, with primate studies as a focus. Dawn focused on how autistic/highly sensitive students can either excel or fail in the academic world, what strategies work and do not work for students and the need for "neurodiversity" within the university community.
an audio tape of Price-Hughes presentation is available in Western's library and can be checked out. consult the on-line catalog for availability.
Peter Haug - Decision Sciences
January 18, 06 - Outsourcing in India and
its Effect on the United States
Haug addressed American offshore outsourcing of information technology, technical and customer support services, and business processes to India. He contends that outsourcing will increase dramatically during the next several years. By 2008, a National Association of Software and Service Companies survey estimates that Indian employment in IT outsourcing service providers will increase from 650,000 to over 1 million people. Based upon the authors’ experiences in teaching about and observing outsourcing activities in India, this presentation discussed recent trends in offshore outsourcing to India and the benefits and challenges of outsourcing for the United States.
A DVD of Haug's presentation is available in Western's library and can be checked out. Consult on-line catalog for availability.
Sandra Mottner - Finance & Marketing
Feb.15, 06 - Nonprofit Marketing: A
Different Kind of Shareholder Wealth
Mottner, addressed a relatively new area of study: the growing use of business tools and theories to help nonprofit organizations achieve their goals and work with their constituencies. According to Mottner, nonprofit marketing involves using marketing strategy and tools to “do good,” rather than just making a profit. She said nonprofit organizations are often understaffed, under-funded and dependent on volunteers who are not skilled in marketing or fundraising, so they could clearly benefit from strategic, traditionally profit-driven marketing strategies. Mottner presented samples of nonprofit marketing for museums.
a DVD of Mottner's presentation is available in Western's library and can be checked out. Consult the on-line catalog for availability.
Fallou Ngom - Modern & Classical Languages 
April 12, 06 - Language Analysis in Asylum Cases:
Recent Development in Forensic Linguistics
Ngom discussed how many Western governments now use language analysis to determine the national origin of asylum seekers. Due to wars, poverty, population displacements and migration, the number of asylum seekers to Western countries to grow. "While many people apply for asylum for genuine reasons, some use the asylum system to immigrate to the West by claiming that they come from a country whose citizens are normally granted asylum," said Ngom. And, in cases where immigration officials doubt the asylum applicant's claims, the socio-linguistic features in the applicant's speech are analyzed to verify whether they are consistent with those found in the communities they claim to be from.
a DVD of Ngom's presentation is available in Western's library and can be checked out. Consult the on-line catalog for availability.
2004-2005
Arunas Oslapas - Industrial Design 
Nov. 17, 04 - Zero Waste
Arunas Oslapas, Assoicate Professor & Industrial Design Program Coordinator in the Engineering Technology dept. spoke about an on-going industrial design project that focuses on intercepting industrial waste/scrap and incorporating it into innovative products that address the triple bottom line of economics, social equity and the environment. He described experiments and showed visuals, and also showed failures and successes as his students have embarked on their adventures to "turn trash into cash." Oslapas stressed that "In order for our Earth to be a fully sustainable system, we must reach a point of zero waste. In nature, the perfect model there is no waste; all "products" produced in natural systems are food or raw mateials for another level of the cycle, said Oslapas. Understanding the cyclical characteristics of nature can aid us in the man-made world as we mimic nature and patten our systems after her.
An audio tape of Oslapas' lecture is available in Western's library, Special Collections. M-F - 11 am-4 pm, or by appointment @ 650-3193. the tape is archival only, & cannot be checked out.
Gigi Berardi & Lynne Robbins - Environmental Studies
Jan. 19, 05 - Academic Tribes & Territories: Promoting Diversity
In addition to working together at Huxley, where Berardi in Environmental Studies Chair, Robbins and Berardi co-developed the Tribal Environmental and Natural Resources Management program which is used at Northwest Indian College. The program combines the different social, cultural and academic principles distinct to Western and Native American approaches to science learning, to build a core learning community. "How groups and individuals perceive and communicate with one another within their concepts of time and space, and interaction, or how they establish modes of learning are very important parts of culture," Berardi said. Some cultures favor "high-content" learning, using multiple-streams of information surrounding an event. Communication is within the context itself, not within the actual message delivered. For "low-context learners, the pattern is the opposite: filtering out conditions surrounding an event to focus as much as possible on the words and objective facts. obbins lecture is available in Western's library, Special Collections.
M-F- 11 am-4 pm, or by appt. @ 650-3193. the tape is archival only, & cannot be checked out.
Kristi Lemm - Psychology
March 9, 09 - How Well Do You Know How You Feel?
Lemm, has done extensive research on implicit, or unconscious, beliefs and attitudes, particularly implicit prejudice. Her current work focuses on implicit bias related to race, obesity, gender and sexual orientation. To show how such implicit beliefs are measured, Lemm allowed audience members to take the Implicit Association Test. "In recent years, researchers have realized that people are not always willing to reveal their attitudes, particularly regarding socially sensitive topics such as prejudice. In addition, people may have attitudes they don't even realize they possess", Lemm said. She also described studies that she and her colleagues and student have conducted at Western to assess implicit attitudes, with a particular focus on her ongoing research about attitudes toward gay men.
An audio tape of Lemm's lecture is available in Western's library, Special Collections - M-F - 11 am-4 pm, or by appt. @ 650-3193. The tape is archival only, and cannot be checked out.
Bruce Larson -
Secondary Education & Social Studies
April 13, 05 - Using Face-to-Face and Electronic
Discussions to Examine Controversial Issues, Develop
Citizenship and Promote Thinking 
Bruce Larson, the 2003 recipient of the Excellence in Teaching Award, credits his 11 years of secondary teaching experience to leading him to the realization that classroom discussion is a critical teaching tool. Larson believes that electronic formats may serve to reduce the teacher's authority, and allow students to assume more authority during the discussion. This could serve to make the discourse more egalitarian and less focused on student attributes such as status, power, ethnicity, or culture. Such discussion boards could allow typically unheard student to have a "voice."
2003-2004
Brian Bingham - Huxley College 
Oct. 23, 03 - Immersion Experiences
and Intensive Mentoring
Brian Bingham discussed his experiences promoting diversity in marine science education as keys to academic success. Bingham is director of Western's Minorities in Marine Science Undergraduate Program which annually enrolls students from around the country for two quarters of course work, research, participation in K-8 classroom outreach and presentations at professional meetings. Brian has directed MIMSUP since its inception 13 years ago. He won the 2002 Presidential Award for Excellence, administered by the National Science Foundation, and a Management Excellence Award from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Bingham also received Western's 2002/03 Diversity Achievement Award.
An audio tape of Bingham's' lecture is available in Western's library, Special Collections . M-F -11 am-4 pm, or by appt. @ 650-3193. the tape is archival only, and cannot be checked out.
Millie Johnson - Mathematics 
November 20, 03 Using Mathematics to
Understand What Bees are Buzzing About
"Mathematics isn't just about computation anymore," says Johnson, an award-winning teacher with 31 years experience. Johnson notes that the defense department is currently training bees to sniff out explosives. Their sense of smell is better than dogs and they can easily fly to their target undetected. She stated that bees can not only detect the mines without requiring a walk through the explosives, they can also revitalize agriculture via pollination. Johnson received the Distinguished Teaching Award from the Mathematical Association of America's Pacific NW Chapter.
An audio tape of Johnson's lecture is available in Western's Library, Special Collections . M-F. 11 am-4 pm, or by appt. @ 650-3193. The tape is archival only, and cannot be checked out.
Charles Sylvester - Physical Ed., Health & Recreation
Feb. 12, 03 - Leisure & Liberal Education
Charles Sylvester, a 2002/03 Excellence in Teaching recipient, earned the 2001 Excellence in Teaching Award from the National Society of Park and Recreation Educators and the 1991 Member of the Year Award from the National Therapeutic Recreation Society. In his presentation, Sylvester explored the classical relation between leisure and liberal education. He also described several of the historical forces that transformed leisure, causing it to be associated in the modern mind with emptiness, shopping, and entertainment rather than education and excellence. He considered the possibility of restoring leisure and liberal education in a way suitable for modern democracy.
audio tape of Sylvester's' lecture is available in Western's library, Special Collections M-F - 11 am-4 pm, or by appointment @ 650-3193. the tape is archival only, & cannot be checked out.
Alan Gallay - History
March 4, 06 - Slavery & Race in Early America 
Allan Gallay was honored in 2003 with the prestigious Bancroft Prize for his book, The Indian slave Trade: The Rise of the English Empire in the South, 1670-1717. His the first historian to focus on Native American slavery, a project that took 13 years of research. He was the 2002/2003 recipient of the Olscamp Research Award. "Most American assume that slavery and race were inseparable and unchangeable in American history. Yet concepts of race evolved as American slavery altered over time, said Gallay,who also examined how the ideology of freedom for some and enslavement for others occurred in the revolutionary and antebellum period.
An audio tape of Gallay's lecture is available in Western's library - Special Collections. M-F- 11 am-4 pm, or by appt.. @ 650-3193. the tape is archival only, and cannot be checked out.
Carol Janson - Art History
April 15 - Common Ground: Partnerships in Art & Community
Carol Janson was one of four Center for Instructional Innovation 2002/03 "showcase" faculty to utilize her senior seminar "as a bridge to students' futures." She devised a service-learning project in which students created paintings for Whatcom Transit Authority bus shelters. Through a power-point presentation, Janson proved that an opportunity to combine students' artistic talents with critical thinking and problem solving was useful to them and an enhancement to their community.
An audio tape of Janson's lecture is available in Western's library, Special Collections - M-F - 11 am-4 pm, or by appt. @ 650-3193. the tape is archival only, & cannot be checked out.
2002-2003
Suzanne Paola - English
October 24, 02 - Afterwards: A Reading
In her presentation, Suzanne Paola wove together evolutionary science and personal material. She read from "Body Toxic" - her first work of non-fiction. Paola is an award-winning author and poet who was awarded a $20,000 National Endowment for the Arts grant for creative writing and earned the esteemed Brittingham Prize for her poetry. Written under the name Susanne Antonetta, her environmental memoir, "Body Toxic" was also named a 2001 New York Times Notable Book and an American Book Award winner.
An audio tape of Paola's lecture is available in Western's library, Special Collections. M-F- 11 am-4 pm, or by appt @ 650-3193. the tape is archival only, and cannot be checked out.
Nov. 21, 02 - Diversity Flashpoints
Karen Hoelscher Joe Garcia
Education Management
Professors Hoelscher and Garcia, both winners of the Diversity Achievement Award, discussed their national study of potentially explosive interpersonal situations bourn out of identity differences. Their objective is to enable educators to become more effective in managing these challenging incidents. Based on interviews with colleagues from universities across the U.S., this presentation provided insights into their research methods, and found implications for practice.
An a udio tape of lecture is available in Western's library - Special Collections.M-F - 11-4 pm,
or by appointmentt @ 650-3193. the tape is archival only, and cannot be checked out.
Sara Weir - Political Science 
January 30, 03 - Women Care Givers
and Intergenerational Relationships
Weir's talk focused on women caring for women; the importance of intergenerational relationships with non-family members, and kindness and humor as strategies for acceptance of aging. She has expertise in the topic, particularly the social, political and interpersonal implications of aging, and co-chaired Western's interdisciplinary gerontology certificate program. She makes care giving decisions for her mother and aunt who have significant memory loss.
An audio tape of Weir's lecture is available in Western's library - special collections.M-F - 11 am-4 pm, or by appt. @ 650-3193. the tape is archival only, and cannot be checked out.
David Nelson - Economics 
February 20, 03
- From Plan to Market
Economic Education
in the former Soviet Union
David Nelson discussed efforts underway in the former Soviet Union to teach young people about how a market economy functions. During his tour of the former Soviet Union in 2001, Nelson observed students learning lessons in economics, which he developed for U.S. students, which are now being used throughout the former Soviet Union and beyond. Nelson asked his audience to consider: "Will the seeds that are being planted today among students in the Ukraine, in Belarus, and in many other countries of the former Soviet Bloc, bear fruit in the years to come as a new generation of young people assumes leadership responsibilities in these countries?"
An audio tape of Nelson's lecture is available in Western's library - special collections. M-F - 11 am-4 pm, or by appt. @ 650-3193. the tape is archival only, and cannot be checked out.
George Nelson - Science Education
March 13, 03 - Goofy Goals & Hidden Agendas;
Recapturing the Vision of Education Reform
George Nelson, a former astronaut who has logged more than 400 hours of space travel, including voyages on the STS-41C Challenger and the STS-26 Discovery is the new director of the Science, Math & Technology Education program. He arrived at Western in January 2002, to continue his lifelong pursuit of education reform to ensure that all Americans are literate in science, math and technology. Before coming to WWU he served for 5 years with the American Association of the Advancement of Science as the Director of Project 2061, a national initiative to reform K-12 science, math, and technology education in the U.S.
Dana Jack - Fairhaven College
April 24, 03 - Mapping the Valleys in the
Minds of Nepal: A FIrst Study of Depression
in the Hindu Kingdon
Winner of the 2002 Paul Olscamp Research Award, Dana Jack traveled to Nepal in 2001 to research how gender issues relate to depression and play out in other cultural contexts. While she was there, she taught courses in women's studies and helped develop a graduate-level gender studies curriculum at Tribbhuvan University in Katmandu. Author of "Silencing the Self" a ground-breaking study of depression in American women, Jack engages in internationally recognized research.Her latest book, "Behind the Mask: Destruction & Creativity in Women's Aggression" explores the origins, meanings and forms of women's aggression.
An audio tape of Jack's lecture is available in Western's library, Special Collections M-F- 11 am-4 pm, or by appointment @ 650-3193. the tape is archival only, and cannot be checked out.
2001-2002
David Patrick - Chemistry 
October 16, 01 Nanoscience?
Nanoscience studies the world at the size scale of atoms and molecules. Though the subject matter is very small, the scope and technological impacts of this new field of science are potentially very large. No other discipline in the natural sciences is receiving as much attention and is the subject of as much hype as nanoscience. Optimistic futurists predict nanoscience will produce cures for disease, save the environment and solve the problem of the social security deficit, among other things. Others, such as Bill Joy, CEO of Sun Microsystems, worry about a future filed with nanorobots run amuck, plotting to make humans obsolete. Amid the promise and hyperbole, one certainty is that funding for nanoscience research has increased dramatically at a time when support for non-health related basic research has been constant or declining. Will nanoscience deliver on its promises? Do we have something to fear?
An audio tape of Patrick's lecture is available in Western's library, Special Collections - M-F 11 am-4 pm, or by appt. @ 650-3193. the tape is archival only, and cannot be checked out.
David Sattler - Psychology 
November 13, 01 New National Study
Shows American Resiliency After Sept. 11
Sattler, an expert on psychological responses to disasters, presented results of a new national study indicating that a strong majority of college students have reprioritized their lives and are exhibiting positive signs of coping and resiliency since Sept. 11. Two weeks after the September 11 attacks, Sattler and two Western Graduate students interviewed 1,282 college students. Respondents were in New York city ; Boulder, CO; Charleston, SC and at Western. Regardless of proximity to the tragedy, Sattler's team found attitudes of the college students survey were surprisingly similar.
An audio tape of Sattler's lecture is available in Western's library, Special Collections - M-F, 11 am-4 pm, or by appt. @ 650-3193. the tape is archival only, and cannot be checked out.
Scott Babcock - Geology 
Jan. 15, 02- Earth Visions - Reading
the Rocks of the Pacific Northwest
Scott Babcock "read" stories told by some of the spectacular geologic features in this region. Among the "chapters" in Babcock's slide-illustrated talk, were tales of micro plate mosaics, volcanic cataclysms and how the Ice Age came and went. "The Pacific Northwest is blessed with some of the most spectacular geologic features to be found anywhere in the world." One of the great beauties of the science of geology is that a great deal of the earth's history can be interpreted by merely observing the form and substance of rocks and landscapes. Geologists call this reading the rocks."
Julie Lockhart - Accounting 
Feb. 12, 02 Accountancy: Steward of the
Land or Pawn of the Status Quo?
What does the field of accounting have to do with the natural environment? Julie Lockhart addressed this question by reviewing the current status of corporate financial reporting on environmental issues and by providing examples from companies' financial reports. She critiqued the accounting model dealing with the environment and describes dome of the barriers that exist to preventing better reporting of environmental impacts, thus keeping accountancy a "pawn status quo." There is hope that accounting can help improve the environment, since "what gets measured gets done." Many companies now produce environmental reports outlining environmental initiatives and progress. As more companies accept these guidelines, we may see accountancy hold a prominent role in the environmental stewardship.
An audio tape of Lockhart's lecture is available in western's library, Special Collections - M-F
11 am-4 pm, or by appt. @ 650-3193. the tape is archival only, and cannot be checked out.
Rosemary Vohs - Elementary Ed. & Communication 
March 5, 02 - An Evening of Storytelling:
Art & Academic Pursuit
Rosemary Scott Vohs, a professional storyteller and public speaking coach presented and evening of storytelling. Storytelling is now recognized as an interdisciplinary subject that delves into the fields of anthropology, environmental education, communication, business, creative writing, healing arts and theater. Vohs was classically trained in performance arts in her native England. She has taken her award-winning talent to Australia, Southeast Asia and Canada. She produces Telebration and co-produces the Bellingham Storytelling Festival, both part of National Storytelling Week.
An audio tape of Voh's lecture is available in Western's library, Special Collections - M-F
11 am-4 pm, or by appt. @ 650-3193. the tape is archival only, and cannot be checked out.
2000-2001
Todd Donovan - Political Science
Oct. 17, 00 - Can Ballot Initiatives
Improve Our Civic Life?
Nationally known for his expertise on voting habits and ballot initiatives, Donovan discussed the critical viewpoint that the citizen's initiative process wreaks havoc on democracy in Washington and other states. He spoke of overstated threats like the cost of ballot access, the role of special interests and the threat that initiatives pose to minorities. Donovan contended that initiatives may strengthen democracy in ways that are most often overlooked "In Nov. 2000 voters were asked to vote on more imitative measures than in any election since 1914," Donovan said.
Ed Rutschman - Music 
November 14, 2000 - When Composers
Borrow,
Who Gets the Paycheck?
Excellence in Teaching award-winner for 1992-93, Ed Rutschman, musicologist and composer, explored the borrowing practices of musicians over the long span of a millennium, from Gregorian chant to the present day Napster court case. The recent digital dissemination of recorded music has raised serious questions about the protection of intellectual property. Many of the same issues are centuries old. What if Handel appropriated the music of another composer and used it tin the context of his own work? Was he simply paying homage to the other composer, or was he engaging in criminal activity? He played examples of distinctly similar recorded works - he let audience decide for themselves.
Michael Seal - Engineering Technology (VRI) 
January 16, 2001 - V-12 Compound
Expansion Composite Engines
Michael Seal, founder/ director of Western's Vehicle Research Institute (VRI) talked about the V-12 compound engine which was recently developed at the Vehicle Research Institute. The engine, capable of reaching 300 horsepower when all 12 cylinders are working replaced the experimental Subaru engine currently in the Viking 7. The engine will improve upon that of a Honda Civic. The target weight of the engine is 200 pounds, a reduction in 100 pounds from the Civic' equivalent engine and 400 pounds from a V-8 engine. Since 1971, Seal and his students and staff have produced prize-winning research vehicles, experimental racing cars and automobile engines.
Larry Estrada - Fairhaven College 
Feb. 13, 01 - Zorro Politics in Mexico:
The Potential
Legacy of Vicente Fox's Presidency
February 13, 2001 - L arry Estrada discussed the present social and political conditions in Mexico and he impact that the most recent presidential election had on Mexican society during the next six years. He also focused on Mexico's current positions on immigration, the drug war, domestic crime and unemployment - with emphasis on the country's population explosion and its implications for social and cultural change. As former chair of the Washington State Commission on Hispanic Affairs, Estrada received the Benito Juarez award from the Whatcom Hispanic Organization for his work and leadership within local and statewide Hispanic communities.
Steven VanderStaay - English
March 13,01 - When Schools Work- Fostering
Achievement & Resilience in an Urban High School 
VanderStaay shared the results of his year-long study of Seattle teacher Rick Nagel from Franklin High School, renown for the achievements of students in his award-winning law and society program. VanderStaay's research was funded by a grant from the National Academy of Education and the spender foundation to research factors that protect at-risk children from engaging in dangerous or criminal behavior. VanderStaay contended that "The importance of good schooling and the role of teachers who engage the interest of their students and provide challenging curriculum in a child's life can never be over estimated
Sarah Clark-Langager - Western Gallery Director 
April 18, 01 - Seeing Through Public Art
Sarah Clark-Langager conducted a walking tour of Western's internationally known sculpture collection. Her presentation answered many often-asked questions about the noted collection: How did Western become a national leader in the development of outdoor sculpture? While other universities are not developing sculpture collections, Why is Western's still considered a premier example? What is notable about each of the 23 artists and their works?
1999-2000
Steve Dillman - Engineering Technology 
Nov. 9, 1999 - The Raven: An Educational Project
to Build
a World Record-Setting Human Powered Aircraft
The Raven is a human-powered aircraft with a wingspan greater than the Boeing 737. Steve Dillman discussed the project and how it will soon be ready for its first piloted flight. The project is an effort to build an aircraft capable of setting four world records in human powered flight. It incorporates advanced materials to produce rigid wing and fuselage skins with a cantilever wing construction. Design specifications call for an aircraft with a wingspan of 35 m, a weight of only 34 kg, a cruising velocity of 32 km/hr, and a range of 160 km. An aircraft has been built and is currently under testing, and has made approximately 150 short trial flights without a pilot. However, initial structural testing has revealed some problems in design and manufacture that must be addressed prior to piloted flight. It is estimated that the Raven will be ready for first flight 30 days after successfully passing the final structural tests.
Jack Hardy - Environmental Sciences
January 18, 99 - Global Warming - What Can Be Done?
During the 20th Century humans have greatly increased the concentration of greenhouse gases in eh Earth's atmosphere. Realistic assumptions regarding use of fossil fuels suggest that this trend will continue. Scientists confirm that the recent global warming lies outside the bounds of natural variation. If present trends continue, water resources, forestry and agriculture will likely face serious impacts. The 21st Century will present us with the most challenging environmental problem ever. Jack Hardy's lecture discussed how we will sustain our ecological and economic systems in the face of unprecedented climatic change.
Don Alper - Center for Canadian American 
Studies
& Political Science
Feb. 15, 99 -One Landscape/Two Systems:
Emerging Forms
of Ecological Politics Across the Border"
Don Alper discussed the future of the Pacific Northwest in the Cascadia region. The growth rates in the Seattle-Tacoma and Vancouver, B.C. urban areas have been among the highest and metropolitan areas in Canada and the U.S. Alper discussed the cross-jurisdictional cooperation needed to deal with the impacts of this growth.
Kathleen Young - Anthropology 
March 1999 - Anthropology of Good and Evil
Anthropologist Kathleen Young discussed the cross cultural nature of Good and Evil. She investigated the ranges and variations of what humans consider good and evil. Young also explored the following questions: Are there some acts that are universally considered evil? Does the idea of basic human goodness exist cross culturally? What are the ranges and variations of what humans consider good and evil? And - How do ideas of good and evil reveal to us a broader consideration of what it means to be human? Young’s study of the war in the former Yugoslavia, led her to the study of cross-cultural conception of good and evil. She received Western’s Excellence in Teaching Award in 1999.
Robin Matthews - Watershed Studies, Huxley College 
April 18, 99 - What's in My Drinking Glass Besides Water?
Robin Matthews is the Director of the Institute of Watershed Studies at Huxley college of he Environment. She discussed current information about Lake Whatcom; the primary water source for the City of Bellingham, a recreational site, a major wildlife habitat and a desirable residential area. She discussed the local issues in relation to the universal complex problem of providing safe drinking water for our community.
1998-1999
John Field - Geology
November 10, 98 - Salmon, Floods, & Earth Science
Education:
Geology Isn't Just About Rocks Anymore
John Field outlined that two of the most pressing economic and environmental issues facing our region are integrally tied to streams and rivers: the decline of the salmon runs and the continuing losses due to flooding. These issues may seem unrelated to geology, but as a fluvial geomorphologist (river geologist) Field is currently working, together with his students, to address these issues locally and to create a greater public awareness of these problems. As a member of the Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association, he monitors the success and impact of stream restoration projects in the community He is also the director of the Washington Earth Science Initiative, a teacher enhancement program designed to involve teachers in local environmental issues such as habitat restoration and flooding.
Robbi Ferron - Equal Opportunity
Jan. 12, 99 - Multi-racial Identity Will Win the Race
to Equal Opportunity, Leaving Anti-discrimination
and Affirmative Action Breathless
In the year 2000, the U.S. census permitted citizen to designate themselves as having more that one race, for the first time in census history. In doing so, the Federal government is recognizing the growing multi-racial population. Robbi Ferron, Executive Director of Western's Equal Opportunity Center, explored the implications of this change. Ferron noted that creating a multi-racial designation comes at a time when numbers of protected classification in anti-discrimination law are increasing as are attacks on affirmative actions. She also argued that multi-racial identity may be a better vehicle to win the race to equality than anti-discrimination laws and affirmative action ever were. Ferron served as senior policy advisor for affirmative action for Governors Mike Lowey and Gary Locke.
Kris Bulcroff, Sociology & Linda Smeins, Art Histor y
Feb. 9, 99 - The Road to Romance: An
American Honeymoon Experience
Sociologist Kris Bulcroft and Art Historian Linda Smeins discussed their recent book about the social construction of the modern honeymoon. The presentation included discussion about the historical origins of he custom of the honeymoon, contemporary form and function of the ritual, and the meanings of the honeymoon for interpersonal identity. "Where you choose to honeymoon - whether it's soaking in a 7-foot tall champagne glass in the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania or lying on the beach in Jamaica" - says a great deal about who you are and how you view your marriage, says the authors. Today, 95% of all couples take a honeymoon, compared to 47% of pre-World War II couples.
Floyd Lewis, Joe Garcia & Kenneth Keleman - Management & Decision Sciences
March 9, 99 - Electronic Meetings for the Next Century
The audience witnessed a live demonstration of an electronically-supported meeting through a demonstration of Group Support System (GSS) technology, where some participants were in remote locations. In the early 1980s, Lewis developed the first microcomputer-based Group Support System. The initial GSS software evolved into a commercial product called MeetingWorks for Windows. In this presentation, College of Business & Economics Management and Decision Science professors Lewis, Garcia and Keleman demonstrated how, as we move into the 21st Century, we my find such electronic meetings becoming the norm - rather than the exception.
Marie Eaton - Fairhaven College
April 13, 99 - Marie Eaton, Unplugged
Marie Eaton, Dean of Fairhaven College and a member of the music ensemble Motherlode, sang a variety of songs, that she has written over the years. She played guitar and accompanied by her nephew on bass. Motherlode, a dynamic group of four women from Bellingham, and Portland, Oregon, has been performing together for 17 years and have recorded six C.D.'s. They have shared stages with such nationally known artists as Ronnie Gilbert, Tom Paxton, Theresa Trull and Judy Small. They are known for their warmth, spontaneity and rapport with their audiences, which invariably sing along at the invitation of the artists.
Larry De Lorme - Provost & History Department
May 11, 99 - Policing the Frontier, Some North American Comparisons
Provost De Lorme remains passionate about his areas of academic expertise: frontier crime and law enforcement. During the lecture, he shared interesting historical vignettes drawn from the Washington Territory & British Columbia.
1997-1998
David Mason - Fairhaven College 
Feb. 13 - When You Look Deeply
Into the Faceted
Golden Eye of
the Green Lacewing.....
Fairhaven professor David Mason, a biologist presented a multi-media performance piece, which he originally created in 1971for an ecology class for civil engineers at UC Berkeley. Lacewing - was presented many times in the Bay area and beyond. The presentation at Western featured the original slides and sound track seen at a place in time in which the environmental movement was emerging - the blended visual and auditory images, helped incite metaphoric thinking. Mason cautioned that the dialogue that follows the presentation allows the audience to come to a mutual understanding of our yearning to be satisfied by the same things - respect for the planet and knowledge that we are fragile emotional beings.
Judith Segal - Wilson Library
February 18, 96 - Bookless & Paperless After the Millennium
or,
Curling Up in Bed with a Good Computer
University Librarian, Judith Segal will examine the questions - Does the pleasure and experience of reading hinge upon the bound book? Will electronic modes of information delivery displace the library's print collections? In this presentation, Segal reflected upon the relationship between technology and discourse and the power of the word in any form. An avid reader and storyteller, Segal has experience librarianship with children, young adults, undergraduate and graduate students and scholars in New York City, Boston, Virginia, Israel and the Pacific Northwest.
An audio tape of Segal's presentation is available in Western's library and can be checked out. consult the on-line catalog for availability.
1996-1997
James Davis - Political Science
November 14, 1996 - An Election Aftermath:
Closing
a Century of Presidents
In his lecture, Emeritus Professor Jim Davis focused on the two-century old Electoral College System; the existing means of selection of the President of the United States. According to the U.S. Constitution, a winning presidential candidate needs to receive the majority of the nation's electoral votes in order to be elected president. Even though this system will be used in the last presidential election of the twentieth century, it has many critics calling for its demise. Dr. Davis deicussed the benefits and conseguences of any changes in the Electoral College System and the direct oppular vote. The aftermath of this year's election will also be a topic of interest. Davis has worked campaigning with Vice President Hubert Humphrey, presidnetial nominee Walter MOndale, Senator Eugene McCarthy and President John F. Kennedy.
Ralph Vernacchia - Physical Education Parks & Recreation
January 14, 97- Winning Attitudes of Olympic Athletes
In his presentation, Physical Education professor Ralph Vernacchia contended that elite athletes who participate in Olympic competition develop and utilize a variety of mental skills which help them succeed in the athletic arena. Olympians mentally prepare themselves for competition by adopting a performance attitude which reflects the mental attributes and skills of "pressure" situations. He demonstrated that learned attributes of highly successful athletic performers has relevant ramifications for successful performance in all walks of life. Vernacchia shared his research and observations regarding key mental attributes.
Violet Malone - Adult & Higher Education 
February 11, 97 - The 2.5% Solution
It has been determined that when an innovative idea or practice is introduced into a community of 100 people, approximately 2.5%of that number will adopt the innovation long before it is seen as an "appropriate" innovation for the rest of the people. It is assumed that 2.5% could be actively involved in the community-wide acceptance of the innovation. Not true! The people who make up the 205% group usually do not "fit" because they are involved in putting the innovation to use. Who are the "2.5 percenters," and why don't they fit the norm? hen is the norm population uncomfortable with the "2.5 percenters?" Malone analyzed how these "2.5 percenters" bring change to a community and why the communities need the solution. A nationally known motivational speaker, Malone is the former president of the
Adult Education Association of the USA and chairperson of the National Coalition for Literacy (USA).
Ronald Kleinknecht - Psychology 
April 8, 97 - When Fear Takes Over: The Nature,
Consequences & Treatment of Medically-Related Phobias
Fear is one of the most basic emotions experienced by humans and animals. It best understood as part of a built-in alarm system that warns us of danger and prepares us to escape or to cope with threats to our physical and psychological well being. However, this alarm system sometimes becomes hyper-sensitive to potential dangers such that it can hinder one's social and physical well-being. It can motivate life-threatening avoidance behavior. The lecture illustrated the nature of fear and dysfunctional phobic reactions by focusing on fear motivated avoidance and medically related diagnostic and treatment procedures. Specific attention was addressed to the fear and avoidance of receiving injections and blood draws. Kleinknecht also described research into the origins of these phobias, their consequences, and how they can be effectively treated.
Robert Keiper - Secondary Education
May 6, 97- Visual, Vocals & Verbals:
The 3 V's for More Effective Communication
Teachers today are constantly in the sales business! Everyday they must enter classrooms and "sell" products ranging from algebraic equations to causes of the Civil War to parts of speech. To do so, the teacher of the 90's must use all of the "tricks of the trade," including the addition of more energy, enthusiasm and excitement in their teaching. The passion and persuasion needed can be exhibited by reviving the power of ones nonverbal communications (visuals), breaking old habits in using ones' voice (vocals), and considering the works (verbals) that one uses. All these skills and the techniques use to train teachers to be passionate about their teaching are easily transferable to a myriad of activities and or professions. Keiper's multi-media presentation utilized a computer, laser disc and a data projection system to involve the audience in exercises demonstrating the use of visuals, vocals and verbals
1995-1996
Thomas Schlotterback - Art History
November 14, 95 - The Once and Eternal Virgin Goddess Athena
Parthenos: Big Mama's Back and She's Bad"
In his multimedia presentation, Art professor emeritus, Thomas Schlotterback stated thatthe giant chryselephantine statue of Athena Parthenos, in the Parthenon at Athens, is one of he most written about art objects from ancient times. Its significance as an object and as an image has carried the meaning and expression of a culture that predicted and predicated modern times. Schlotterback demonstrated that, when viewed in a specific historical continuum, Athena Parthenos is a critical connector between modern times and the very most ancient manifestation of human culture: the Great Earth Mother.
Ken Hoover - Political Science
Jan. 16, 96 - Identity: Who Needs it,
What GOod is it?
What do people want in the way of and identity? Is our identity what separates us from other people? Or, is it what makes us part of a community? How can the separatist ant community-oriented aspects of identity be worked out in a democratic society? Kenneth Hoover, Political Science Department Chair, shows how technology depends first on a analysis of the process of identity development and maintenance. Drawing upon the extensive cross-cultural and cross-gender research of Erik Erickson, and of subsequent researchers like Carol Gilligan, Hoover developed a conception of identity formation that included both its universal and separatist aspects. Hoover is the author of four books and is a Distinguished Teaching Award winner.
Thor Hansen - Geology 
February 14, 96 - Dinosaurs & Dodos: The
Effect of Mass
Extinction on the History of Life
Geologist Thor Hanson contends that one of the largest mass extinctions in earth history is going on now. More than 99 percent of all animals and plants that ever lived have become extinct, he said. Most of these extinctions have occurred during relatively brief episodes and were pervasive incidents involving plants and animals in nearly all environments on a global scale. By examining the causes and effects of previous extinctions, he shed light on one of the largest extinctions in history. Hanson received the Paul J. Olscamp Outstanding Research Award of 1993-94 and was a visiting scholar at Oxford University in 1991-92.
Susan Costanzo - History 
April 6, 96 - A Nostalgia for Censorship?
Susan Constanzo, an assistant professor of Russian History, addressed the paradoxes of the recent demise of censorship in the former Soviet Union. While celebrating the unfurling of the Communist party straightjacket of the arts, artists now face a new set of problems associated with the creative and financial aspects. The reward for censorship and conformity had been financial security and high status. Now most artists scrape by. With the withering of the repressive role of the state, many artists have suffered creative crises in the search for a new "enemy" and a new purpose beyond efforts to outwit the censor and criticize the state. The ambivalence has influenced Western exposure to Russian artists. Their experiences provide food for thought and recent debates in the U.S. government's role in the support of the N.E.A. Costanzo has lived in Moscow and St. Petersburg at various times since 1988, helping to fend off Communists loyalists during the attempted coup and takeover of the Russian "White House" in the summer of 1991.
Ed Bereal - Art 
May 14, 96 - Sleepless in Havana
Art professor, Ed Bereal presented a multimedia lecture about his experiences during the 1994 Fifth International Havana Biennial. He examined Cuba from the perspective of a visiting African American artist. His presentation juxtaposed the diversity and disparity of Cuban culture and presented Cuba in a new light - its people, economy and politics - filtered through his personal experiences. As a painter/sculptor his exhibition venues include the San Francisco Museum of Art, the Pasadena Art Museum and the Smithsonian National Collection of Art.
1994-1995
Robert Spich - Management
January 17, 95 - If I Were Them, Would I Still Be Me?
In his presentation, International Business Management professor, Robert Spich examined trying out another generation's shoes and finding that they don't fit so well! Spich shared meaningful and humorous views about apparent changing student ideas and attitudes towards higher education with a view on how well it serves students in this increasingly complex and international world. He juxtaposed his experience as a student in the 60s and 70s with that of a student in the 90s. Spich started his teaching career as a Fulbright Scholar in Chile.
Bill Smith - English
March 14, 95 - Friendly Aliens & Deadly Slashers
This multimedia lecture explored the cultural significance of space aliens and bloody slashers in popular films during the past 20 years. Studying films such as Close Encounters of the Third Kind, E.T., Starman, Cocoon, Halloween, Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street reveals similarities which suggest a close kinship between two genres. Through careful analysis, Smith contended, that one can reach the disturbing conclusion that our emotional responses to these films are in direct opposition to the cultural values they portray.Smith is the author of several textbooks and the former editor of "WPA: Writing Program Administration."
Phillip Montague - Philosophy
April 18, 95 - Myths of Parental Rights,
Realities of Parental Responsibilities
Philosophy professor and chair, Philip Montague contended that parenthood in all its legal, psychological, and social dimensions is frequently examined and discussed, but the nature of these dimensions is largely taken for granted. Parents are, of course, morally responsible for the well-being of their children, and they are commonly assumed to have moral rights to make decisions regarding the course of their children. And, their apparent rights are simply ways of fulfilling these responsibilities Montague asked the audience to consider "the idea that parents hove only responsibilities regarding their children and that their apparent rights are simply ways of fulfilling these responsibilities."